Per Chance
by smile-clarenet
Summary: Skye Armstrong sets off to find her missing mother, but loses her way and ends up off the beaten track. What she doesn't realise is she's accidentally run into her extranged father, but things don't quite go to plan when he reveals the truth. Pre-Film.
1. Skye

**Author's Note:** This is the story I've been promising to write between Making It Through and improving Quest for the Cup. You'll probably understand the importance of it later, though it does mean some major changes to both Quest and Staying Strong. I like how parts of this have turned out, though other sections aren't so good. I've still got to start chapter 4, yet I'm already working on chapter 5...Not sure how many chapters this one is going to have, it doesn't really take off until the third chapter, but the first two are just as important. Also it takes place before the movie, so no Lightning.

I have to thank LightningAndDoc for giving me the idea for this one - all because of that one review I found inspiring. I think LightningAndDoc will know which one I'm talking about.

_Disclaimer: Still don't own Cars, I do however own Skye and Alisa Armstrong. Please don't use them without asking my permission first!_

* * *

**Per Chance**

It was a quiet sort of evening in Radiator Springs. Actually, it was always quiet in Radiator Springs, in Sally's experience at least, if one didn't count the argument or three the war veteran and his hippy neighbour got into each day.

Sally had been in the town for a few years now, and not once had she seen a traveller. It seemed to her, and the rest of the residents, that she was destined to be the last to travel on their part of old Route 66 for some time.

When she decided to settle in the town they put her in charge of the Cozy Cone Motel. When needed, she was also the town's attorney, though she hadn't been needed in either role yet. It was only a matter of time, she told herself for the millionth time, though not really believing it.

She thought about the town and her friends as she sat in the shade at the abandoned Wheel Well Motel. The days seemed to pass in the same routine – always starting at Flo's café in the morning, and ending there in the evenings. Often it was open for most of the night as well.

Sunset was approaching, and Sally, fed up with waiting for non-existent customers, was watching the sunset from her favourite spot outside Wheel Well. It was almost silent up there, and she got a good view of the valley spread out below. Their little town was the only settlement for as far as the eye could see. When she had run away from LA, she wasn't really expecting anyone to find her, though she was immensely glad they had. She'd broken down on the road near the old sign, where Sheriff found her some time later, lonely, tired, and completely lost. Her new friends gave her the strength she needed, partly why she'd stayed there.

With a soft sigh she turned to head back to the town. Try as she might, sometimes she struggled to stay as positive as the others. They insisted time and time again that they would be found eventually. She wasn't so sure – eventually seemed like an awfully long time.

A quiet sound caught her attention as she turned back onto the road. She paused, listening carefully, a slight frown on her face. It was almost like the sound was being carried on the gentle wind that blew across the entrance to the motel, but something told her what was making the sound was close to her.

She drove back to the motel and peered inside. A small, silver car was partially hidden in the shadows. She looked young, not even an adult yet. Her silver frame was dusty, as though she'd been on the road for a long time. Twin, clean tracks ran down her hood where her tears had fallen.

"Miss?" She called softly.

The car flinched and looked up quickly.

"What's wrong?"

The girl bit her lip, avoiding eye contact. Sally could tell she was scared. She backed away, reaching for her phone.

* * *

"What have you got?" Doc asked as he pulled up at the motel some time later.

Darkness had fallen over the valley. Sally turned to him, using only her side lights to see. It was quiet in the motel now. Doc quickly switched to his side lights as well so as not to blind her.

"In here." Sally led him to the entrance of the motel. "I don't know how long she's been here."

Doc looked into the gloom. The silver car was barely visible in the dim light. Her eyes were open, but it was as though her mind was elsewhere entirely. If he was to take a guess at her age, he would have said thirteen, yet it didn't quite add up somehow. In the low lighting he could see an old injury to her left side near her wheel arch.

He cast a glance in Sally's direction and flicked his high beams on. The girl blinked in the sudden brightness and pulled back into the shadows, the only evidence left was her hazel eyes watching them warily.

"It's alright, miss." Doc tried to reassure her. "We won't hurt you. We're here to help."

She blinked again, squinting in the bright light. He went back to his side lights, leaving a pair of bright, hazel orbs glowing in the darkness.

"You're kind of young to be out alone, aren't you?" Sally said cautiously from beside Doc.

"I'm sixteen." The girl replied stonily.

"Do you parents know you're out here?" Doc shot another glance at Sally.

The girl closed her eyes and shook her head.

"Don't know where they are." Her voice was barely audible.

"Well now, why don't you come down to the town tonight? We can find you some place to stay, and Sheriff can help you find your parents." Doc suggested.

After a moment the girl opened her eyes again and nodded, not particularly wanting to stay on the exposed plateau for another night.

"What's your name?" Sally asked the young car as she emerged from the motel.

"Skye."

"C'mon then, Skye. We'll show you the way to the town. It's not far."

The girl looked as though she was about to protest, say something along the lines of 'mum told me not to trust total strangers', but she had seen what could pass for a town in the valley – the first she'd see in two days.

Doc took the lead as they headed off the hill and past the waterfall. Skye fell in beside Sally, following Doc silently. As they entered the forest Sally sped up to drive alongside Doc.

"Where's she going to stay?" She asked quietly.

Doc glanced in his mirrors. He suspected Skye wasn't normally so quiet. She could have been shy, but he suspected it was somehow linked to her parents.

"What do you think?"

"I don't know, Doc. I think she needs someone to support her, but then she doesn't know us, so she might not be happy to stay with one of us."

"The Cozy Cone, then?"

"Cone number one. It's closest to the office if she needs anything in the night. There's normally someone around during the night anyway."

Doc nodded, still watching the young Daewoo. There was something about her that reminded him of himself – a sort lost look about her.

Doc realised they would have to drive straight past the V8 Café in order to get to the Cozy Cone Motel, and at that time of the night, the whole town would be there, with the possible exception of Sheriff. It was a long time since any new vehicles had arrived in the town – Sally being the most recent visitor – so it was likely Skye would get a lot of attention. A brief look in Sally's direction told him she was thinking the same thing.

"I'll distract them." Doc offered. "You take her straight to the motel. We can find Sheriff in the morning."

* * *

**Author's Note:** It was only a matter of time before a silver Daewoo Matiz appeared in one of my stories. Basically, she's my dad's car, except I've given her a different name. And purely by coincidence, she does have an injury to her left side near the front wheel arch. My dad accidentally caught the car on the garage wall the other night, after I'd come up with that detail for the character. I've nicknamed her 'Kelly' in real life, but that didn't work out for story, so she's now Skye. Dad said Kelly is a lot better than calling the car 'Road Kill' (the last three letters on the number plate are KLL - it's the same method we used for naming the old Ford Focus - ADM became Adam, and that is the same car that appears in Quest for the Cup.)

Anyway, enough of the history. A few reviews would be nice (hint hint).


	2. A Missing Mother

**Author's Note:** Thanks to LightningAndDoc and 'i ain't givin' it' for reviewing the first chapter. I'm still working on chapter 4, and I've got stuck after chapter 6. I know how I want to continue it, but actually continuing it is proving tricky, but at least one of the characters isn't so spectacularly OOC now. I actually deleted the last two lines of this chapter because I think they gave part of the plot away, which I don't want to do just yet. You've got to wait until the next chapter for that.

_Disclaimer: I don't own cars. I do, however, own Skye and Alisa Armstrong. Please don't use them without asking my permission first!_

* * *

**Per Chance**

Skye woke to the sound of a bugle and an electric guitar nearby. She glared at the clock, which read seven in the morning, and bit back a curse. Since finishing school, she'd not been up before ten, sometimes later. Seven was too early for her, and to make matters worse, she wasn't sleeping well either. With a wide yawn she reached across and pressed the pedal to open the door. It was pointless trying to get any more sleep now.

She shot a brief frown at the jeep and VW bus, still arguing over something, as she drove by on the road, making her way to the café. She was somewhat surprised to see some of the others there. Almost all the stalls were filled, but she found one near the road and pulled into it, yawning again.

"Morning, Skye." The Porsche called from the stall opposite. "Did you sleep okay?"

"Not really." Skye replied, thinking longingly of her bed at home where she could remain undisturbed for hours.

"So, what'll it be, honey?" The turquoise show car approached her.

"Um, just some fuel." Skye replied awkwardly. She didn't have much money left after being on the road for four days, or was it longer? Thinking back she couldn't be sure how long ago she'd left her home.

"Sure, honey. Just call me if you want anything else. It's on the house."

Skye saw the blue Porsche grinning from the corner of her eye as she thanked the car.

"Flo said the same thing to me on my first morning."

Skye looked at the green car again. Flo. It suited her.

"Hey, baby!"

A low set Chevrolet pulled into the café. Skye raised an eyebrow at his royal blue paint with navy flames reaching down his sides. Flo kissed him enthusiastically, apparently unaware of the cars watching them. Skye looked away quickly, catching the Porsche's eye as a familiar face appeared. Various greetings ran around the café while he settled in the stall beside Skye.

"We'll find Sheriff after breakfast, that sound okay?" He asked her quietly.

She nodded, rubbing her tyre on the tarmac purely for something to do.

"W – what's your name?" She turned to the cobalt car after a moment.

"Doc Hudson."

"You look familiar."

Doc chose to remain silent, hoping she didn't recognise him too well – but how could she? He hadn't raced in a long time, well before she was born.

"You're not eating?" He realised what was bothering him.

"Not hungry."

A few minutes later Doc took Skye to the small police station that doubled as Sheriff's home and told her to wait inside while he found Sheriff.

She sat in one of the side rooms, glad to be out of the sunlight, for though it was early in the day it was already hot outside. A dusty window let a good amount of light through, giving her the opportunity to take a look around.

A low desk on the far side of the room faced the window with an old radio on the top. The radio crackled in the background, the only sound apart from her idling engine. The walls were bare panels of wood painted an odd creamy colour. A pair of identical filing cabinets sat behind the desk, labelled by someone with neat writing, perhaps someone who had taken time over it.

"Skye?"

Doc was back. She poked her head out of the door. A mostly black car with white side panels and a red light on its roof followed him into the building, and the two stopped in front of her.

"This here's Sheriff." Doc said. "He might be able to help you find your parents."

"This way, kid." Sheriff turned to lead her into the interview room.

"My name is Skye, and I'm _not_ a kid." She replied defiantly as she passed Doc.

Doc chuckled lightly. He could imagine her being quite a handful at home, and wondered what her parents were like. He followed them into the interview room, curious to know more about the girl.

"I'll need your full name." Sheriff got right on with the short interview, Doc having already told him why she was there.

"Skye Armstrong."

"And how old are you?"

"Nearly seventeen." She said, noticing the surprise on Sheriff's face. "You thought I was younger, didn't you?"

Sheriff didn't say anything, instead settling for looking uncomfortable.

"I _hate_ being a Daewoo." She stamped her tyre on the concrete floor. "Everyone thinks I'm younger than I am. There was a guy the other night that asked me if my parents knew I was so far from home. He didn't make that mistake again."

Doc caught Sheriff's eye and cleared his throat uncomfortably.

"When was the last time your saw your parents?" Sheriff continued quickly.

"I've never seen my dad, I don't know who he is, and my mum never told me. I haven't seen her for a couple of weeks give or take a few days. I've lost track. She went to see some friends a couple of states away. She said she'd be staying with them about a week, so she should have been home a few days ago. But she never came home. I don't understand. She's stayed with them loads of times, and nothing's ever gone wrong before."

"Have you tried phoning her?"

"They live in the middle of nowhere, and they don't have a phone."

"How about your house? Could she back by now?"

"I guess." Skye shrugged.

Sheriff handed the phone to her and led Doc from the room to give her some privacy.

She found them waiting outside the door a few minutes later. Doc could tell even before she spoke the phone call hadn't been successful. As they returned to the room he nudged her tyre lightly with his own.

"Can you go on?"

She nodded, her eyes now fixed firmly on the floor.

"I'll need a few more details – a description of your mother, her name and age as well as what she looks like, where the friends live, and where you live." Sheriff said, a pen hovering over the notebook by his right tyre.

With another nod Skye began to talk again and Sheriff wrote down the information she gave them.

Almost the moment Sheriff said he had enough to be going on with, Skye bolted from the building. Doc had watched her closely as she'd talked about her mother and knew she wanted to find somewhere private. He couldn't blame her; it couldn't have been easy for her.

* * *

**Author's Note:** The bit about Skye hating being a Daewoo actually came from my sister. Not directly, just the idea for that bit. She stayed with us for a couple of days last Christmas, before we got the garage. My next door neighbours car is a Vauxhall estate of some sort (I can't remember exactly), and my dad's car is a Daewoo Matiz (as I said at the end of the last chapter). They're both silver, but the Vauxhall is considerably larger than the Daewoo. When they were both parked outside the houses, my sister said it looked like the Vauxhall had been breeding. That said, Alisa (Skye's mother) isn't actually a Vauxhall, and neither is Skye's dad.

Coming up with a design for Ramone is hard. I wanted something different, but when it came down to it I really couldn't think of anything. So it's the 'flame job' in blue, rather than red or whatever it was in the film (it's a while since I last saw the film).

As usual, a few reviews would be nice. Chapter 3 coming soon (assuming I can get chapter 4 sorted!).


	3. Loss and Gain

**Author's Note:** This is the chapter that starts off the main bit of the story. Technically it won't 'take off' until chapter 5. The story was never meant to be so much about Skye finding her father, so much as how she and her father get on with each other.

To 'i ain't givin' it', thanks for your review. At the current time, you are the only one who has bothered to review chapter 2. Thank you for the offer of help, though I think I may be OK with the story for a while now - I came up with something the other day that will hopefully work.

To the rest of you who are reading this - what happened to the reviews? I've had a fair few notifications about people alerting/favouriting this story. Is it too much to ask for a review from those people? (Yes, you can call me a hypocrite, I know I do the exact same thing, but I do at least get around to reviewing those stories eventually.)

_Disclaimer: I do not own Cars. However, I do own Skye and Alisa Armstrong, please do not use them without seeking my permission first!_

* * *

**Per Chance**

The days passed in a slow haze of heat and sunshine, and before Skye realised, she had been in Radiator Springs for a week. By the end of her first day there, she knew who everyone else was – from Lizzie to Mater, from Red to Guido. She was fascinated by Sarge and Fillmore's friendship, though wished they could find a quieter way to greet each new day. At seven a.m. sharp, Reveille rang through the streets, only to be interrupted a few seconds later by the Star-Spangled Banner. The bickering between the war veteran and his hippy neighbour never lasted long, and soon enough they were being quite civil towards one another, though Skye wished she could have a lie-in for once.

She'd spent a few days helping Sally refurbish the Cozy Cone motel. It looked better already, and they still had a little work to do. When she wasn't helping Sally, she was talking to Flo at the café. She had considered asking Ramone for a new paint job at one point, but after seeing the designs he gave himself decided against it. He'd turned up each morning sporting a new design of varying colours and styles. She presumed he was painting himself, though she couldn't work out how in the world he was doing it, especially when he arrived in a very detailed design.

During the hours she spent at the café, Skye wondered how far Sheriff had got with finding her mother. Doc had no more information for her, and she'd only seen Sheriff two or three times since the brief interview. She quickly realised he was the most elusive of the residents – possibly save for Red, though the shy fire truck could be seen faithfully watering the plants around the town as the day wore on.

It was a few days into Skye's second week in the town before she finally got any news of her mother, though after she found out, she wished she didn't know.

She was having breakfast at the café when Doc appeared and said Sheriff needed to talk to her. She looked nervously at the others in the café, and at Sally's encouraging nod followed Doc down the road to the small police station.

Sheriff was waiting in what appeared to be his office. Skye hesitate in the doorway, but Doc's gentle voice reassured her enough to enter the room a moment later.

"W – what's going on?" She looked from Doc to Sheriff.

"I got a call from my friends in the city." Sheriff said. "About a dark red AMC Cherokee going by the name of Alisa Armstrong."

"_Mum. _What happened?"

"They said it looked like she'd been attacked and deserted. She was in a bad way when they found her."

"She didn't make it." Skye lowered her eyes to one of the desk legs.

"I'm sorry, Skye. Is there any other family you can stay with?"

Skye shook her hood. "I'm an only child, mum's an only child, her parents died before I was born, and I don't know anything about my father. Mum never talked about him."

"You're more than welcome to stay here until further arrangements can be made." Doc said gently.

Skye nodded, and without another word she disappeared from sight.

"Poor kid." Doc watched her go.

"You're the best placed out of all of us for helping her, Doc." Sheriff picked up some papers from his desk. "You know what losing a parent feels like."

Doc shot a warning look at Sheriff, not particularly wanting to relive the awkward few months following his arrival in Radiator Springs.

"My friends found some letters on Alisa. Well, she gave them to my friends. She said they were for someone called Simon Hudson."

Doc frowned. "Why would Alisa be writing to me? I haven't seen her in almost twenty years."

"So you _did_ know her." Sheriff observed. "They sent copies of the letters to me." He passed the papers to Doc. "Don't worry, I haven't read them."

Doc took them slowly, looking at the vaguely familiar hand from a long time ago. His first thought was that they somehow involved Skye, but how could that be possible? He'd left well before Skye was born, hadn't he? He never knew Alisa had a child until Skye started to describe her mother. Unless it was a different Alisa Armstrong of course … but then, how many dark red AMC Cherokees were called Alisa Armstrong anyway?

He quickly excused himself and headed for his cluttered garage, wanting somewhere private where he could read the letters in peace. Skye had long since vanished.

* * *

Darkness was falling over Radiator Springs. Nobody had Skye or Doc since breakfast, though Sally had heard the young Daewoo crying in her cone when she went to check on her. She figured whatever Sheriff had told her was bad news.

The patrol car was absent as well, though that wasn't such an unusual occurrence. At least they all knew where to find him if they needed him. Doc on the other hand seemed to have vanished completely.

Doc was actually sat in the growing darkness in his garage; staring blindly at the papers Sheriff had given him earlier. The papers turned out to be letters from Skye's mother. The oldest was dated some eighteen years ago, the most recent barely five months old.

It wasn't the fact that Alisa Armstrong had written the ten or so letters to him that rendered him apparently incapable of movement, so much as the content of the letters. The first came as no surprise to him – he had known his actions would upset Alisa, but then before he could fix things between them, she moved elsewhere. All his letters to her came back unopened, and the only phone call he'd made revealed a different family living in the house. No, it wasn't the first letter; it was all the letters after that. It was the letters that linked all three of them together; Alisa, Skye and himself.

Random lines crossed his mind, pulled from all the letters. '_I'm pregnant. I'm sure it's yours_', '_I need someone to help me through this. I'm so scared_', '_it's a girl. She's got your colours_', 's_he's so stubborn, just like her Daddy_', '_Skye's been asking about you, I wish I didn't have to lie_', '_she's sixteen next week, and I can't give her what she really needs_', '_I hope you will make a good father_', ' _please, Simon, don't hurt my little girl!_', '_I forgive you, Simon_', '_I have always loved you_'.

She was his daughter … Skye was his daughter. The thought seemed too incredible to comprehend, so he went back to the letters. The first was signed A. Armstrong, telling him she was very annoyed with him, but as they went on she graduated through Alisa, and settled on Lissy, his pet name for her.

"I'm so sorry, Alisa." He whispered into the darkness. "I never knew about our daughter, but I'll make up for it now, I promise."

"Doc?"

He jumped when he heard the knock on his garage door and someone calling his name. He recognised the voice as Sally's.

"Doc, are you in there?"

He quickly stuffed the letters out of sight and turned around, with some difficulty in the cramped conditions, to open the doors.

"Are you okay? We haven't seen you all day, and why are you sitting in the dark?"

"I'm fine, Sally. Absolutely fine. Couldn't be better."

Sally eyed him suspiciously. Very little fooled her, perhaps because of her training to be an attorney.

"Do you know what's going with Skye?" Sally decided to pretend she hadn't noticed Doc skip over her second question. "I heard her crying earlier, and she's been hiding in her cone all day."

"She got some bad news off Sheriff. She's just lost her mother."

"What about her father?"

"She doesn't know who he is. She said her mother never talked about him."

"Poor girl." Sally's gaze shifted to the Cozy Cone. A lone light glowed in cone number one. "Maybe I should take her for a drive."

"Go easy on her. She may not want to talk about it." Doc warned her, remembering how he had been when he lost his mother.

* * *

**Author's Note:** If any of you have read 'A Hidden Past', you should know what I'm referring to. If you haven't, well, it might help you to understand the odd part of this story.

If you still don't know who Skye's father is...you need to read the chapter again. Things are going to take off in a couple of chapters, mainly the relationship between Skye and Doc.

I totally hate chapter 4, it's about half the length I want it to be, and doesn't really go anywhere, but it's the best I could do. Dang writer's block *curses indistinctly*. No idea when chapter 4 will appear, but because of it's shortness, I might stick chapter 5 up at the same time.

So, any chance of more than one or two reviews with this chapter? *puppy dog eyes*. Please don't force me to say I'm not going to post any more of this story until I get some more reviews. I hate having to do that.


	4. Time Out

**Author's Note:** I really don't like this chapter. A) it's way too short (about half the length I want it to be), and B) it just feels like a sorry excuse for a chapter, but then again, there is a least one part of it that's important. I may well end up deleting it and pretending it doesn't exist at some point.

Thanks to LightningAndDoc for reviewing the last chapter. Your feedback is much appreciated.

_Disclaimer: I don't own Cars. I do, however, own Skye and Alisa Armstrong. You may use them, provided you ask my permission first._

* * *

**Per Chance**

Skye stopped at the edge of what appeared to be a cliff and looked at the view beyond. Radiator Springs seemed to be the only town for miles around, for no other buildings were visible besides those in the town.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?"

Skye looked at Sally and nodded.

"What is this place?"

"Wheel Well. Used to be the most popular stop on the Mother Road." Sally turned to the long abandoned building set into the rocks. "That was before the interstate was built."

"Do you come up here a lot?" Skye asked. "I mean, you were up here a few days ago when you found me."

"It's a good place to think." Sally replied. "I thought you might like to come up here. Doc told me about your mother."

Skye sank miserably to the dirt beneath her tyres. It was only a day since Sheriff had told her, and she didn't feel ready to talk about it. Somehow knowing Sally knew didn't bother her. In a way she was glad – she had come to see Sally as the sister she always wanted.

"It's okay. You don't have to talk." Sally reassured her. "I just thought you might like some time away from the town."

They sat in silence for a while, each lost in thought.

"Do you think they'll send me away?" Skye spoke quietly.

"Who, Doc and Sheriff?"

"Yeah."

"I doubt it. Why do you ask?"

"If they find my dad."

"Do you want to live with your dad?" Sally glanced at her.

Skye shook her head. "He hurt us. He doesn't care anyway. If he did he would have found me by now. I don't want to see him."

"Well, if they do find him, and he comes for you, and he really loves you, he'll give you a choice."

"You really think so?" Skye looked at her with desperate eyes.

"If he's a decent guy, then yeah, he should. Besides, what's to say he hasn't been trying to find you?"

Skye shrugged. Surely if her father was looking for her, he would have found her by now. She'd been living in the same house for sixteen years after all. She didn't really know how to feel about her father, having never met the guy. She knew she hated him for making her mother's life and her life so difficult, but at the same time she was curious about him. She wanted to know what kind of guy he was, what he liked, what he didn't, who his friends were, what he did for a living … all the things that defined him.

"You can trust Doc and Sheriff, you know. You can trust everyone here. They took me in when I had nowhere else to go. I'm fairly sure they're already doing the same for you."

"Yeah … thanks, Sally. It's really nice up here."

* * *

**Author's Note:** Like I said, I hate this chapter. I suppose I could always combine it with chapter 5...but then I'm not sure about doing that either, as I quite like chapter 5 as it is...

I've just started working on chapter 7 - and you may get to see the early return of a certain dark green chrysler (again, A Hidden Past should explain some of that), rather than the much later return of the same car in Quest.

Reviews please, or you're not getting the next chapter.


	5. Discovery

**Author's Note: **In sharp contrast to the last chapter. I totally love this one! Thanks to i ain't givin' it, and LightningAndDoc for reviewing the last chapter. I just have one thing to say to both of you.

First, i ain't givin' it, I love the review you gave me, but I couldn't help noticing your grammar. Rather than 'And I LOVE how you have little if not NO bad language!', it should really be 'And I LOVE how you have little if NO bad language!'. I don't like bad language all that much myself, though I do use the occasional mild word.

LightningAndDoc, I know I already replied to your review, but I just have one more thing to add. You have no idea how bad it's going to be!

_Disclaimer: I don't own Cars. I do, however, own Skye and Alisa Armstrong. You may use them, provided you ask my permission first._

* * *

**Per Chance**

"Has anyone seen Skye? There's something I need to talk to her about." Doc spoke to the almost silent café.

It was a few days since Skye had lost her mother, and he knew he had to stop putting off what she needed to know, but it was difficult to find her. He'd seen her driving out of town almost the moment the various shops and businesses closed at the end of the day for several days running.

"She went up to Wheel Well." Sally replied.

Sure enough Doc found Skye sitting when Sally so often did, gazing almost blindly into the valley stretching out below them.

"Hey, kid." He pulled up beside her.

"Hi."

"You holdin' up okay?" Doc asked, though he could tell she wasn't feeling great; she hadn't protested at being called a kid.

She didn't say anything, but shrugged slightly.

"Your mother wrote a few letters to me." He decided to get right on with why he was there.

"You knew my mum?"

"We were friends at one time."

"She never talked about you." Skye glanced at him. "Why was she writing to you?"

"She, uh, she was telling me about you, and how you needed your dad."

"I don't want to see him." He's probably some good for nothing lowlife, doesn't care enough to help us out."

Doc winced at the fierce tone in her voice.

"She told me who your dad is." He said quietly.

"What did she tell you for? I mean, it's not like it's you."

"Actually … it is me." Doc said uncomfortably.

"What?" She backed up a few feet and swung around to face him.

"I'm your father." He said, still staring down at the town.

"So where the hell were you? Mum never had enough money for both of us! She never got anything off you. You were never there when we needed you!"

"Skye – " Doc watched her pacing back and forth across the space in front of the abandoned motel.

"Forget it." She turned and sped off, heading back down the hill.

Doc followed her around the corner quickly, stopping sharply when Skye almost ran Sally off the road. Her sudden swerve threw her off balance and she hit the cliff wall with some force. She sat there stunned for a moment, giving Doc a chance to get close to her.

"Skye?" He reached out a tyre, but she pulled back.

"How could you?" She whispered, confusion and pain filling her eyes, and then she was off again, leaving a sporadic trail of oil behind.

"What the – Doc, what's going on?"

The question reminded him of Sally's presence. He turned to face her.

"Are you hurt?" He asked her.

"No. Doc, what just happened?"

"Just a little disagreement. Skye isn't too happy with me, and I don't blame her."

"Doc?"

The cobalt Hornet merely shook his head and drove off after Skye, leaving a very puzzled Sally at the old motel.

* * *

The town appeared to be deserted when Skye sped down the main street, heading for the solitude of her cone. She shakily drove up the short ramp and shut the door behind her. Her side stung where she had hit the rocks and scraped some of the paint off. She could feel a small wound just behind her right tyre, and knew it was slowly leaking. She found a small strip of cloth and lowered herself over it so it was pressed against the injury. A soft knock on the door disturbed her.

"Skye? Sweetie?" It was Doc.

"Leave me alone!" She snapped.

"Sweetie, you're hurt. Won't you let me take a look at you?"

"No. Go away!"

A short moment passed before she heard him drive off. She sank right to the ground and lay there crying softly.

Doc settled at the café with a sigh. It was too early for anyone else to be there, unless they got fed up of waiting and closed early. Sally joined him after a while, apparently confused to see him there.

"Have you seen Skye yet?" She asked.

He shook his head, keeping one eye on the cozy cone down the road.

"Doc, she needs medical treatment." Sally hissed. "I know you saw what happened."

"I tried. She won't let me in to see her. I can't force her to do anything, and I'm not going to try to." Doc avoided looking at her as he spoke. "It's up to her when she lets me see to her injuries."

"But Doc – "

"Leave it, Sally." He pulled out of the café and drove off down the road.

Sally watched his dejected figure disappear down a side road and made straight for the motel. There was something going between Doc and Skye, and whatever it was, it was clearly hurting them both.

She stopped outside cone number one with her tyre poised to knock on the door, but soft, muffled crying from inside the cone made her hesitate. The young Daewoo was still upset, and Sally couldn't bring herself to make the girl see sense. She turned and went into the reception building, figuring she could give the pair some time to sort things out themselves.

* * *

Skye didn't emerge from her cone until late the following morning. All the residents had gone to their respective stores and businesses to await either customers or midday and a break for lunch.

Skye crossed the road slowly and pulled up at the café, sinking onto the concrete with a hiss of pain. The cut behind her right front wheel had kept her awake most of the night with its incessant throbbing.

"Skye?"

She turned quickly with a faint gasp to face Flo.

"Oh, honey, what happened?"

Skye realised she'd parked with her right side to the café building, and the damage would be clearly visible to Flo, who was taking her time clearing up after breakfast.

"Nothing." Skye replied.

"You should go to Doc about that. It looks bad."

"It's nothing." Skye settled on the ground again.

Flo ducked back into the building for a moment, returning with a can of oil that she placed in front of the silver car.

"It'll help with the pain, honey."

"Thanks." Skye smiled faintly at the show car.

When Flo moved away she caught sight of her reflection in a recently cleaned fuel pump opposite. Her front right side was badly dented and missing most of the paint, and the glass over her headlight was cracked.

At that moment Sheriff appeared in the stall to her left. Skye glanced nervously at him, but other than a nod in her direction the police car didn't show any sign of seeing her there.

Suddenly she realised cars were beginning to gather for their lunch. She quickly finished her oil and sped away, not wanting any awkward questions or more suggestions of going to see Doc. She didn't really want to risk bumping into Doc somewhere around the town either, and felt her cozy cone was the safest place to hide.

"Mind the speed limit!" Sheriff called after her.

* * *

**Author's Note:** I had to do that bit with Sheriff. I'm not too sure when the next chapter will be online, as I can't quite decide where to end it. If I end it where it works, it's a little on the short side (under 1000 words, which I don't really like), but if I combine it with the next chapter, it doesn't really end how I want it to. It's likely to be a few days. Plus my computer is a little poorly after a nasty virus a couple of days ago, and I don't know what's going to happen to it in the long run at the moment. The next update is unlikely to be before Monday, as I have a busy weekend ahead (once again), but the more reviews I get, the sooner it'll be.


	6. Sick

**Author's Note:** OK, so it was more than a few days...sorry! I decided to combine the next two chapters to make one longer one. The ending isn't as bad as I thought it was to start with. Thanks to the people that reviewed the last chapter. I really appreciate the feedback!

_Disclaimer: I don't own Cars. I do, however, own Skye and Alisa Armstrong. You may use them, provided you ask my permission first._

**

* * *

**

**Per Chance**

Skye sat in her cone shivering slightly, unable to understand why she felt so cold all of a sudden. She was sure it couldn't be anything to do with a sudden change in air temperature – the cone was being warmed by the sun, and soon she would need to put the air conditioning on to ease the stuffiness. She grabbed the blanket she'd slept under over night and huddled into it, letting her slightly aching frame rest on the cool floor. There was no telling how long she could avoid going to Doc, but sooner or later she suspected she would have to go to him.

Doc sat in the café with the rest of the townsfolk, watching the Cozy Cone motel nervously. He'd caught the briefest glimpse of his daughter as she fled back to her cone, but it didn't stop him worrying. There was no fresh oil on the asphalt at least, which he hoped was a good sign.

"Hey, Doc, you might want to take a look at Skye soon. She doesn't look so good. I had to give her oil and painkillers just now." Flo appeared in front him with his usual can of oil.

"I will, Flo, just as soon as she lets me." He replied. Flo looked puzzled so he elaborated a bit. "We got into a bit of an argument at Wheel Well. She doesn't like me too much right now."

"I don't know, Doc. I don't think she's angry. Looks like she's scared to me."

"Well, I'll try talking to her again later."

**

* * *

**

"Skye, sweetheart? Are you okay? Do you need me to get you anything?"

She woke with a start to Doc's concerned voice outside the door. The lighting in the room had changed, and a glance through the window told her it was late evening.

"Skye?" Doc called to her again. "I can send Flo or Sally in there if you'd rather."

"I – I'm okay." She called back, just wanting to go back to sleep.

"You sure?"

"Yeah." She pulled the blanket around her body again and closed her eyes as Doc's engine faded into the distance.

"Did she speak to you?" Sally was waiting for Doc outside the motel's office.

"She did … something didn't seem quite right." Doc frowned. "Would you keep an eye on her for me?"

"Sure." Sally nodded.

As Doc disappeared into his clinic, Flo pulled up beside Sally.

"Something's going on between those two." Sally said quietly.

"What do you mean?"

"I don't really know. It looked like they'd been fighting yesterday when I got to Wheel Well, and Doc said Skye wasn't happy with him, and he couldn't blame her."

"That would explain why she won't go to him."

"You don't think – "

"Don't think what?"

"Skye told me she didn't want to see her father, unless he somehow proved he really cared. She was getting on fine with Doc before yesterday. You don't think … he's her dad?"

Flo looked doubtful. Doc never spoke of his life before Radiator Springs, but somehow she couldn't imagine him ever being with someone, and certainly not Doc and the someone having a child together. If he had a daughter, why had he never mentioned her? Why hadn't he gone to visit her every so often?

Several days passed with no sign of Skye in the town. Doc began to get worried, but knew the young car was still eating. Flo was leaving a can outside the door of cone number one when the café began to empty after each meal. When she took the next can to Skye, the previous one was empty. It was giving him at least a little reassurance. The day she stopped eating would be the day he demanded she let him see to her injuries.

**

* * *

**

Doc had spent most of the morning cleaning his surgery from top to bottom with little else to do. Part of him wished he could give the same attention to his garage, the other part didn't want to go back to the memories that awaited him in there.

He willingly broke off the cleaning when someone knocked on the door. He told his friends time and again they didn't need to knock unless he was with a patient. It might be a different story if the town ever became popular again, but for now, he wasn't so bothered. He found a very worried Sally waiting for him on the other side.

"What's wrong?" He asked straight away.

"Flo and I just went to see Skye. She doesn't look so good, Doc."

Doc simply nodded and followed Sally across the road to the motel where Flo sat by the open door of cone number one. Doc hoped Skye wouldn't protest at his presence.

The silver Daewoo was shivering violently, despite the thick blanket that covered her and the warm air drifting through the open door.

"Better fetch Mater." He said to Sally and Flo, not really bothered which one went, provided one of them did.

Sally gave a quick nod and sped off, leaving Flo waiting for Doc's preliminary diagnosis.

"Skye?" He put a tyre against her side.

She flinched and whimpered, but felt too ill to move away.

"Sorry, sweetheart." He said, removing his tyre, though not leaving her side.

There was no doubt about it, his daughter was sick, and whatever she said, she needed him.

"It's okay, Skye, we'll get you well again." He said softly to her.

She blinked weakly and looked at him, struggling to keep in focus.

"Daddy?" The word was barely audible to Flo, but Doc, sitting right beside Skye, heard it quite clearly.

"Easy, sweetheart, I'm here." Doc put his tyre to her side again, and though she flinched again, she still didn't pull away.

The wait for Mater felt like it went on forever, but finally the tow truck and Sally reached the cone. As Mater hooked Skye's back bumper, Doc spoke again.

"Please be careful with her."

Sally returned to the café with Flo and settled in a stall with a good view of Doc's surgery.

Night fell on the town. The residents went to the café for dinner and returned to their homes, all but three unaware of what was happening in Doc's surgery.

Flo had told Ramone when he saw her unusually worried expression. Now he sat with her and Sally, allowing an uneasy silence to fall on the trio. Doc's silhouette passed the window a number of times, then disappeared for quite some time.

Sheriff found the three still sitting there when he was heading home in the early hours of the morning. He pulled up beside Sally and followed her gaze.

"Who's he with?" Sheriff asked again as Doc's shadow passed the window for the first time in some hours.

"Skye." Sally replied softly.

"She actually went to him?" Sheriff sounded surprised.

"No. He went to her. She wasn't looking too good this afternoon."

"Doc'll get her better." Sheriff tried to reassure them.

Sally wished she could believe Sheriff, but the police car hadn't seen how ill the teenager had looked earlier.

Doc worked through the night, though it made little difference. The prognosis wasn't good. Skye's injuries had become infected over the few days since her accident. It would take a while for the antibiotics to take effect, in the meantime Doc had to care for his very poorly daughter, and do what he could to ease her suffering.

When morning broke over the town, Sally, Flo, Ramone and Sheriff were all still sitting at the café, waiting for any news Doc might have on his young patient. Sheriff knew they would be paying for staying up all night later in the day, but for now it didn't concern him.

Inside the surgery, Doc was sitting beside his daughter, watching the early sunlight spreading across the floor and up the walls and cabinets. He listened to Skye's raspy breathing, praying the antibiotics would start working before the infection spread any further.

"Doc?"

He blinked and looked around at Sheriff as the police car appeared in the doorway.

"How is she?"

"Getting worse." Doc sighed, turning back to Skye and tucking the blanket around her shivering frame.

"Want me to sit with her for a while?" Sheriff asked, knowing his friend had been up all night.

"I daren't leave her." Doc replied almost immediately.

"Doc – "

"You wouldn't understand. I _have_ to get her better."

"You won't be able to help her if you're tired, Doc. Get some sleep. I'll stay with her."

"I can manage."

"Well, if you're not going to accept my help, at least call Jason."

Doc nodded wearily. The thought had been on his mind for some time.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Don't actually know when chapter 7 is going to be appearing. I need to find the notes I made first! All I can say is hopefully it'll be before I go away at the end of this month, though Doc is giving me a few problems at the moment (again!). One thing I do know about the next chapter - it's the return of a certain dark green Chrysler known as Jason Brooke! If you want to find out a bit more about him, read A Hidden Past. He does appear again later in the series (from Quest onwards), but I'm working on those stories at the moment, so exactly when he reappears could change.


	7. Old Friends

**Author's Note:** I haven't updated this one in a long time. Sorry!! I haven't abandoned it, I just got a bit stuck. Writer's block is annoying. Hopefully I'll be reaching the end of this story fairly soon, and then it's on to editing Quest!

Thanks to LightningAndDoc for reviewing the last chapter, much appreciated!

_Disclaimer: Nope, I still don't own Cars. I do, however, own Skye and Jason. Please don't use them without asking my permission first._

* * *

**Per Chance**

Doc yawned widely as he reached for the phone. He hadn't realised just how tired he was until that moment. Maybe he would take Sheriff up on his suggestion of sleep.

"Later." He muttered, dialling the last know number for Jason, and hoping he could still be contacted there. He trusted Sheriff to stay with Skye until he returned, or until Jason got there.

Sheriff went in search of Doc some two hours later when he failed to return. He found the Hornet in his office, slumped beside the desk and sleeping soundly. With a grin, Sheriff let him in peace. Doc would come back later, and he was content to sit with Skye until he did.

Sally eventually left Flo and Ramon at the café and returned to the motel for some much needed sleep. Not long after she'd gone a dark green Chrysler pulled into the almost deserted café, somehow without alerting Flo and Ramone to his presence.

"I'm looking for Doc." He said softly.

Flo looked up suddenly, startled by the new arrival, though it only took her a moment to recognise him, despite not having seen him for some forty years.

"Jason!" She gasped, bringing Ramone out on a unusual trance.

"Hello, Flo." He smiled warmly. "Have you seen Doc? He called me a few hours ago."

"He's still in his surgery, I think. We haven't seen him since yesterday afternoon."

Jason thanked her and turned back for the surgery. He knew exactly where to find it after spending some twenty years working there. Yet when he entered it wasn't Doc he found, but another old friend.

"Sheriff?"

The police car turned quickly.

"He called you then." It was more of a statement than a question.

"He did. So this is Skye?" The Chrysler looked at the small, sick Daewoo. "Do you know what happened?"

"All I know is she crashed. I don't know the exact details. You'll have to speak to Doc."

"Where is Doc?"

"In the office. He was sleeping when I found hm a while back."

Jason nodded his thanks and headed into the back of the surgery. He could remember when he first met Doc – the car was so full of anger towards his mother, and life in general. He had never been able to imaging Doc settling down with someone and having a child. He suspected there was some kind of story behind it, though Doc hadn't said much on the phone, merely 'my daughter is sick, can you come to Radiator Springs?'. Jason had said yes straight away.

As much as he wanted to leave Doc in peace, he needed to know what was wrong with Skye if he was to help his friend cure her. The younger doctor was slow to wake, almost as though he didn't want to wake. When he caught sight of the familiar green car he pulled himself stiffly to his tyres.

"I wasn't expecting you so soon." He stretched out the kinks.

"I left straight away. You sounded worried on the phone. What happened to Skye?"

"We were talking at Wheel Well. We got into a slight disagreement, and she crashed when she drove away. She wouldn't let me treat her until yesterday, but then she was too sick to protest. Her infection is bad, and it's getting worse. I'm scared it's got to her lungs."

"Do you want me to take a look at her?" Jason offered.

Doc hesitated for a moment before he nodded. It wasn't often he need help with a patient, though his first port of call if he did was always his old mentor.

Sheriff was still waiting in the main surgery when Doc and Jason returned. With a quick nod to the par, and request for news when there was any, he left quietly.

Doc hovered in the background while Jason took the opportunity to examine Skye. The only other time the Hornet could remember feeling so nervous was a long time ago, when his mother had fallen ill. He did his best to stay silent and not distract the other doctor, but it really wasn't easy. He managed not to move until Jason rolled back. As the Chrysler pulled away he couldn't restrain himself any longer.

"How is she?"

"It's not good. You're right about the infection – it has spread to her lungs. If we can't get it under control soon, it might affect her for the rest of her life, or it could be too late for her. What medication did you give her?"

Doc led Jason to the side where a few medicine bottles sat on the counter.

"I see." The green car studied the various bottles. "You've given her the right stuff, we just have to hope she's strong enough to make it through this."

Doc nodded, suddenly wishing he was alone. He excused himself quickly and drove out of the building to sit in the warm sunlight for a while. Jason let him go. He knew Doc would be struggling with this. After all, he'd seen how much the younger doctor had suffered when he lost his mother. Jason made his mind up there and then to do all he possibly could to help Skye. He didn't know if Doc could cope with another loss.

In the parking lot Doc was desperately trying to hold back his tears. He hadn't cried in years, but the loss of the car he loved and seeing is only child so poorly was difficult for him. He turned his back on the town and drove away, heading for the one place he knew he would be truly alone for as long as he needed to be; Willy's Butte.

* * *

That was where Jason found him as the sun was setting. The Hornet seemed to be staring at the dirt by the starting line, but Jason could see the distance in his eyes.

"Doc." He called softly, trying not to startle his old friend.

"I'm in way over my head, Jason." Doc admitted, turning tortured eyes to him. "I don't know how to care for a child."

"You're a doctor, it's just like caring for a patient. You know more than you think you do. Your friends will help you."

Doc blinked slowly and lowered his eyes.

"You haven't told them?"

The younger doctor shook his head. "I don't know how to."

"Well, you just go up to them, and say 'Skye's my daughter'. It's not so hard."

"If it's not hard, why don't you do it?"

"Because it's your job, Doc. Skye isn't my daughter. There's only so much I can do in that respect."

"What about as a doctor?" Doc moved to stare at the shimmering horizon. "Can you do more for my daughter than you could do for my mother?"

"I'll do my best, as I always do. Whether she survives or not is down to the two of you. You need to mend your relationship. You need to show her that you care, and want her to stay."

* * *

**Author's Note:** I can't help feeling Doc's a little out of character in this one, but then, his daughter is pretty sick, so I suppose it's justified there.

I don't really know when the next chapter will be online. I've only just finished writing this one! Hopefully it won't be another four months.


	8. On The Mend

**Author's Note:** Well, here we are, the final chapter. I managed to update quite quickly this time, which is an added bonus, and the computer trouble didn't stop me either. Thanks to LightningAndDoc for reviewing the last chapter, as always! And now, on with the chapter. Not as long as some, but I don't think I can get it any longer really.

_Disclaimer: Is there any point in me still doing this? Still don't own cars. Do own Skye Armstrong and Jason Brooke._

* * *

**Per Chance**

Jason nudged open the door and slipped into the dimly lit surgery. Night was drawing in at the end of his first week back in Radiator Springs. When he'd gone for his dinner, Skye had been alone in the room, however it came as no surprise when he found Doc sitting at Skye's side once more.

"You left her."

Jason winced at the accusation in Doc's voice, though it wasn't the first time.

"I had to take a break for a while, as you should. You've hardly left here all week. Your friends haven't seen you. They need to know what's going on." Jason took a good look at the younger doctor. "At least go and get some sleep, Doc. I promise I will call you if anything happens."

Doc turned away.

"She's doing better, Si. I think she's out of danger now." It wasn't often Jason called Doc by his hardly known first name. "Get some sleep."

"I can't lose her."

Jason sighed softly as Doc disappeared into the back of the surgery. He longed to say "you won't", but even if Skye was out of danger, it could still go either way. Tired though he was, he knew he had to stay up with the girl.

* * *

The clock on the wall ticked loudly in the otherwise quiet room. Jason sat to one side of the room, trying to tune out the annoying sound. It was getting late, and the café had finally fallen silent next door.

A soft, weak moan came from across the room. He looked up sharply, turning to face the sick car he was keeping watch over. Her hazel eyes opened a fraction, though they didn't focus on anything.

"Daddy?"

"No. I'm your father's friend."

"Where is he?"

"In the back. I'll tell him you were asking for him."

Skye's eyes shut once more. Jason waited a few minutes to make sure she was settled and went in search of Doc.

The younger doctor was in his office again, and appeared to be asleep. Jason smiled and made to leave, reluctant to disturb his friend, but a quiet voice stopped him in his tracks.

"Jason? What's wrong?"

"Nothing." He returned to the doorway. "Skye was just asking for you."

"She was awake?"

"She was. She's sleeping now."

* * *

She woke slowly to a dimly lit room. Two cars were conversing quietly nearby. She vaguely recognised their voices, one more than the other.

"Daddy?"

The voices ceased, and one of the vehicles moved into her line of sight.

"I'm here, sweetheart." Doc reassured her.

"He's hardly left your side. I had a hard time persuading him to get some sleep." A green sports car appeared beside Doc.

"Good. I don't want him to leave."

"I'm not going anywhere, Skye, I promise."

"You won't leave me like you left mum?"

"Oh, Skye, I never meant to leave Alisa. I loved your mother, but I also hurt her … badly. I wanted to apologise, but she'd moved by then, and I couldn't find where she'd gone."

Unknown to father and daughter, Jason backed away and left quietly.

"She loved you. She never really talked about you, but if I tried to talk about you, I could tell how she felt."

"She probably didn't want you to get hurt." Doc's gaze moved to an old photo partially hidden on the wall. "I'm sorry for what I did to your mother, and to you. If you'll accept me in your life, I'd like it if you'd stay here."

Skye nodded and smiled shyly. "I'd like that, and Daddy?"

Doc looked back at her.

"Thank you. I know it was you who called your doctor friend."

"His name is Jason. I met him a long time ago."

* * *

Doc checked on the small Daewoo from the corner of his eye. It was the first time she'd been allowed out of the surgery since Jason's arrival, and he wasn't entirely sure she was ready for it. She was flanked on both sides by the two doctors, and they were heading for the café. Afternoon was fading into evening, and the town had closed down for another day, all the residents making for the café as usual. In fact, Jason, Doc and Skye were the last to get there.

Jason pulled away from the other two and settled in the stall across from Doc. After only a moment of hesitation Skye sat on Doc's left.

"Good to see you on your tyres again, honey." Flo approached her to take her order.

Doc caught Jason's eye, and the Chrysler nodded slightly. With a look around at his friends, Doc cleared his throat, drawing the attention from Skye to himself.

"There's something I need to tell you." He said, suddenly uneasy with twelve pairs of eyes on him. "Skye's … well … she's my daughter."

A stunned silence followed for a moment before all the cars started talking at once, Doc and Skye the centre of attention. Doc looked at Jason through a gap in the crowd. The older doctor nodded respectfully, his silent way of saying 'well done'.

* * *

Doc woke to the sounds of someone moving around in the next room. Upon going to investigate he found Jason packing the few things he had brought with him.

"You're leaving?"

Jason turned quickly. He hadn't expected to see anyone, and intended to keep it that way.

"I should go back. I think you and Skye can manage now. She's almost better."

Doc nodded slowly. "I guess you're right. Thank you for coming."

"You're welcome. You know where to find me if you need me again."

* * *

**Author's Note:** I don't know if anyone noticed, but I did give Doc a different name in this chapter. Someone asked me a while ago (I don't remember who) why I changed Doc's name. I explained it to that person, and now I'm going to explain my reasons to everyone. To me, Doc is a nickname, not a proper first name. In my opinion, Doc has another name, one that few of his friends know. I don't really know why I chose Simon for his name, but I think it suits him. It's only ever Sheriff and Jason who will call Doc 'Simon', or 'Si', and not very often.

With this being the final chapter, it means the new version of Quest For The Cup, or rather, Staying Strong, will be appearing very shortly. Keep an eye out for this one.


End file.
